Cuba

by Francisco G. Gómez August of 2007: my excitement was on overload as my friend D ( Dean Warren Schomburg ) and I caught a flight to Cancun and then another ride to Habana. It had been fifty plus years since I had visited the island when it was still […]

A Taste of Racism in Old Habana – 2007

 in Community & Collaboration / Cuba / Cultural Traditions / Historical & Social Roots / Race Relations / Raíces Cultural Exchange  tagged African American / Afro-Cuban / Afro-Puertorican / Cuba / Dean Warren Schomburg / Francisco G Gómez / Habana / Libertad y Amen / negro / negros / Old Habana / Patria y Vida / People of Color / race / racism by
Photo galleries from the Raíces Folkloric Ensemble's October 19 presentation of "Tale of Two Waters" at the Elizabeth Public Library.

Raíces Folkloric Ensemble – Tale of Two Waters

 in Cuba / Music / Orisha / Performing Arts  tagged Afro-Cuban / batá / Cuba / dance / Drum / Eddie LaPorté / Egun / Eleguá / Elizabeth Public Library / Francisco G. Gómez / Jaime Hernandez / Music / Nicole Wines / Orishas / performing arts / Raíces Cultural Center / Raíces Folkloric Ensemble / roots music / Rumba / Tale of Two Waters / Yemayá by
by Francisco G. Gómez The Day of the Dead goes by many names, Día de los muertos, Day of the Ancestors, Day of the Egún, All souls Day and many other names, I imagine. For us who are from the Caribbean, or closely situated in that region by location, cultural […]

Day of the Dead Celebration

 in Community & Collaboration / Cuba / Cultural Traditions / Historical & Social Roots / Puerto Rico / Spirituality  tagged all souls day / ancestor worship / Ancestors / day of the dead / día de los muertos / Egun / egungun / spiritual / spiritual worship by
by Francisco G. Gómez In Cuba the Yoruba of West Africa are known as Lucumí. The Yoruba were brought as slaves to the island of Cuba in the nineteenth century during the Middle Passage. They are the descendants of diviners and herbalists who understand the mysteries intrinsic in nature. For […]

Mata Siguaraya

 in Arts & Culture / Caribbean Music / Cuba / Cultural Traditions / Eco-Culture / Herbal Healing / Raíces Cultural Archive / Raíces Cultural Center General Information / Raíces News / Spirituality / Uncategorized  tagged alchemy / beny moré / brazil / ceiba / ceiba pentandra / Cuba / environmental / flowers / folklore / green death forests / haiti / healing / indonesia / lino frías / lucumí / magic / medicinal / middle passage / monte / nectar / new age / oricha / orisa / paleros / plants / sacred / siguaraya / slaves / spiritual / trichilia havanenses / west africa / yerberos / yoruba by
by Francisco G. Gómez Passiflora edulis, better known as Passion Fruit, is one of the most beautiful plants I have ever had the pleasure of caring for and using medicinally.  People who grew/grow up in the Caribbean use this plant to make a refreshing drink, also to treat a number […]

The Medicinal and Spiritual Properties of Passion Fruit

 in Cuba / Cultural Traditions / Eco-Culture / Herbal Healing / Puerto Rico / Spirituality  tagged christ / conquistadores / medicine / missionaries / Nature / new world / parcha / passiflora edulis / passion / passion fruit / phytochemicals / religion / spear of destiny / spirit / spiritual / spirituality by
The new year has brought Raíces Cultural Center news of being awarded a program grant from the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission to continue the annual Raíces Cultural Legacy Festival. The 2013 Cultural Legacy Festival will celebrate art, music, dance, culture and history with a day of workshops, demonstrations, displays, film […]

Raíces Cultural Center Receives Arts Grant to Continue Annual Cultural ...

 in Artist Development / Arts & Culture / Caribbean Music / Community & Collaboration / Cuba / Cultural Traditions / Historical & Social Roots / Photos / Puerto Rico / Raíces Cultural Center Updates / Spirituality  tagged afrocuban / arts and culture / Caribbean culture / community art nj / cultural arts / cultural heritage / gina ferrera / gyil / liz lopez velez / MCCHC / middlesex county cultural and heritage commission / national endowment for the arts / NEA / new jersey state council on the arts / NJ artists / nj cultural performances / NJ State Council on the Arts / nj workshops / NJSCA / Raíces Cultural Legacy Festival by
It took only two short years to make a Pachamama believer out of me. Not being one to seek out sages, gurus or other learned individuals who seem to be in abundance today, a very young person who sought learning from me, turned out to educate me instead. Having known […]

Of Gurus and Harvests

 in Caribbean Music / Cuba / Cultural Traditions / Eco-Culture / Puerto Rico / Raíces Cultural Center Updates  tagged community food / Eco-Culture / ecology / farming / gaia / garden / gardening / herbs / mother earth / organic / organic food / Pachamama / sustainability / vegetables / veggies by
The Spirit of the Drum has travelled from Africa to the Caribbean to the US and is now alive in Middlesex County.  Raíces Cultural Center, A NJ Nonprofit Corporation has received a MINI grant from the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission to produce the series “The Spirit of the […]

RAÍCES CULTURAL CENTER RECEIVES GRANT: THE SPIRIT OF THE HISPANO-AFRO-CARIBBEAN ...

 in Artist Development / Arts & Culture / Caribbean Music / Cuba / Cultural Traditions / Dominican Republic / Historical & Social Roots / Puerto Rico / Raíces Cultural Center Programs / Raíces Cultural Center Updates / Raíces Performance Ensemble by